Viking Blacksmith Buried With His Tools In Norway

Posted by Ms Elly on January 24, 2019

Viking Blacksmith Buried With His Tools In Norway

More than 1,000 years ago, a Viking blacksmith died and got buried in Sogndalsdalen on the west coast of Norway. Many of his tools accompanied him into his afterlife. This archaeological finding one more time helps us understand the work of the Viking blacksmith and the Viking burial ritual in Viking Age.

Interestingly, many of Viking archaeological finding just comes out of nowhere. More than one hundred years ago when a farmer was trying to cultivate his land, he came across the Viking Oseberg ship which was a part of a luxurious Viking burial mound. And the year was 201 when a Norwegian man named Leif Arne Nordheim living in Sogndalsdalen happened to come across the grave.

Blacksmith's artfact found inside the grave

He was attempting to flatten his garden. But some flagstones didn't lie flat. When he managed to remove the stones, something iron appeared before his eyes. Brushing the subjects, he realized that they were hammers and tongs. Immediately he called for the culture authorities.

A group of archaeologists knocked at his door. Leif never expected his findings belonged back to the Viking Age. An archaeologist reported that the finding had been among the most interesting findings and richest grave in the site for the latest years.

This grave had many layers. But the reason why the grave was designed as such remains a mystery.

At the top of the grave, the archaeologists found out the tools of the blacksmith. They also unearthed an axe and some of the agricultural tools. The deeper layer included some of the blacksmith's personal tools like the razor, tweezers, scissors, and poker. Generally, the number of artefacts in this grave reached 60.

At the bottom of the grave, archaeologists found out the remains of the blacksmith. But he was cremated, what left was his ash. It was mixed with some of his personal items like the beads and a comb made from animal bones.

Personal items of the Viking blacksmith found with his cremated remains (Photo: Howell Roberts, University Museum of Bergen)

The archaeologists theorized that the blacksmith could have been both a farmer and a blacksmith. The agricultural implement suggested that he could have worked with these tools when he was alive. The blacksmith's tool showed how skilful he was in this arena. The axe inside his grave might be his own work in the forge.